Here We Go Again
by CoronationStreetClips
Summary: Carla and Peter are back together and taking each day as it comes. Simon has changed his tune towards Carla and when they encounter a big surprise, how will the Barlow's react? This is for the members of the CACAPAA (inside joke) love you all and I hope you all enjoy! Rated T due to possible inferences that could be made by people like Char
1. Apologetic Explanation Please Read

So I've decided to start again. This story was full of very short chapters and to be completely honest, it was turning into a chore. It'll be the same storyline just with much better writing! I can't promise that I'll be posting regularly but the chapters will be to a much higher standard and a lot longer with more detail to make it more interesting and easier to follow. Sorry guys. The first chapter will be up shortly. Don't forget to follow me on Instagram for the latest. My username is coronationstreetclips if you want reminders and an hour warning before I upload. Thanks guys and sorry again.

Aimee X


	2. Chapter 1

Just a few months after her episodes of psychosis, Carla Connor found herself closer than ever to her boyfriend Peter Barlow. It was almost as if they had been together for years, almost like they were an old married couple but the reality was that they were still dating but couldn't be happier. She never knew love was possible as she had never felt it for a very young age. Carla's mother saw her and her brother Rob as an inconvenience and never showed them much attention, just simply left them to learn the ins and out of life alone. Love was nothing but a word for Carla and Rob, so finding it was something of a miracle in Carla's mind. Peter had helped her for years and, after their break due to the 2014 affair, it was comforting to know that Peter was going to be there for Carla once again.

It was a few weeks before Peter's birthday and Carla began planning his special day. She wanted to make it as amazing as she could in order to thank Peter for all that he had done for her over the last few months. After going Peter had wandered off to work, Carla was left in Roy's flat with Simon who had his weekly day off College.

Simon seemed to be enjoying College and had really started to mature into a wonderful young man. He was well mannered, kind and always looking out for his little brother Oliver which was something that wasn't seen often in people of his age and generation. Peter, for one, was very proud of what his son had turned out to be, he was almost convinced that it was a miracle after his attempt of parenting. Considering Simon had landed on his lap as a five year old boy without an instruction manual, Peter was so proud to see his son adapt to his new life with Carla and Peter. Although he officially lived with Nick and Leanne, it was rare for him not to stay with Carla and Peter at least once a week however, after the couple moved into Roy's flat, Simon's visiting days had decreased. This wasn't surprising considering Roy's flat was ancient, not to mention lacking in space. The flat was made for two so with two grown men, a pretty large teenager and Carla, it was like sardines in a tin! They desperately needed to get a place of their own so that Peter and Carla could spend some more time with Simon.

"Si..." questioned Carla, after looking up from her laptop to see him watching a film on the TV old TV box. The graphics were terrible, a complaint that Simon never failed to bring up.

"Yeah" he replied, pausing the film, which had a slight delay due to the oldness of the flaming' thing. He turned his attention around and looked at Carla.

"What do you think your Dad would want for his birthday?" She asked. She'd spent hours over the last few weeks pondering over what Peter would want. Buying gifts for a middle aged man proved harder than Carla had originally anticipated but hoped that Simon would have a few more ideas than her momentarily blank mind.

"Uhhh, not sure. He was looking at socks the other day but it's probably better to stray from the norm" he replied smugly, knowing that it would irritate Carla. Their relationship had come on leaps and bounds recently. It was almost like Simon had finally accepted Carla as a motherly figure in his life, a much more fashionable one than Leanne.

"Very funny" Carla responded sarcastically and continued to suggest her only idea "I was looking at flats the other day. I really want to make this year special as a thank you for your dad, you know, for sticking by me through the whole psychosis thing. It would have been easier on him and you just to leave me, and I wouldn't have blamed you. It was scary for us all but you both stood by me and for that I will be forever grateful"

"Yeah sounds great. I can see how much my dad loves you and you make him so happy, I always liked you back then. I just couldn't get over the fact that my family was falling apart, it seemed so unfair. I've come to realise that it actually works in my favour. Double Christmas presents, double birthday presents, another family to run away to if the other one annoys me, and I kind of like having you around. Anyway, I think he'd like that. A fresh start after everything. It will be an upgrade from here I assume!"

"Yeah hopefully. Come over here and have a look at the ones I found. I'm grateful for that Si. How come you never made your love for me a bit more obvious? It would have made my life a whole load easier!" Carla began

Simon put the TV control down on the sofa and made his way into the kitchen to take a look at the flats on Carla's laptop screen. "You see that would have been too easy. I've always been one to put up a fight" he laughed, resulting in Carla rolling her eyes. She was secretly flattered by his acceptance of her in his life and couldn't help but feel that she had become very fond of her step-son. She continued to elaborate on her only idea for Peter's birthday.

"This one is about a mile away from Weatherfield" Carla explained

"Yeah it's nice but I won't be able to just turn up to visit. I need a break from Mum sometimes. She pisses me off with Oliver and her lovey-dovey relationship with Nick. I love just escaping to yours and Dads house. That's a little harder if you're a whole mile away!"

"That's fair enough! What about this one?" Carla asks presenting a modern looking flat with 3 bedrooms, an en-suite in 2 of the rooms, a lovely big kitchen with an island in the centre, huge sofas and a round dinner table finished with a small balcony off the living area.

"WOW" Simon exclaimed "that's perfect although I don't think I'd never leave. Where is that then?"

"Victoria Court! It's one of the refurbished ones. You'd be welcome anytime and I'm certain that your Dad would be more than happy if you stayed with us more than your Mum!" Carla replied excited for the future. She was tuned into the fact that she and Peter hadn't spent much time together recently, a change in this would be beneficial for all of them, excluding Nick and Leanne that is.

"That's amazing. It's only around the corner as well. When are you going to have a look at it?" Simon asked intrigued and excited to spend more time with his father in a modern environment. At Roy's they could hardly move for the amount of books and cushions, so having a larger space was definitely something worth getting excited about.

"Woah. Hold your horses! I've only just seen it let alone inquire about it. Hang on. Let me phone them up now and see when I can go and check it out". Carla was internally taken aback by the enthusiasm that Simon showed towards the idea of them all having a house together.

"Can I come too?"

"Of course you can but only if you promise not to tell your Dad"

"Deal" Simon replied. Carla and her stepson shook hands and then dialled the number of the flat seller. With the phone on loud speaker both Carla and Simon looked at each other hoping that they would pick up the phone. After four rings there was no response and Carla was beginning to become concerned that she had gotten Simons hopes up for nothing. After a sixth ring Carla was convinced that the flat owner would never pick up when finally there was a pause. Unsure of whether the phone had cut off or whether they had been put through, Carla coughed loudly.

"Hello" a voice came from the other end of the phone. Carla let out a huge sigh of relief. There was still hope of getting Peter just what the three of them needed.

"Hi, I was just wondering if I could come and take a look at the flat in Victoria Court"

"Ah yes. We have a space on Friday for you to come and take a look. You'll be supervised by one of my colleagues who will point out the key features..."

A noise interrupted the conversation that seemed to come from down the stairs. It sounded like Peter which made Carla and Simon jump out of their skin. Simon had to distract his father before his birthday surprise was ruined. Suddenly the door swung open and Peter entered the room with his arms in the air and enthusiastically shouting "honey I'm home".

In order for Peter to not become curious, Carla knew that she had to take the phone call elsewhere. Peter questioning her would result in her cracking under the pressure, something that Peter was able to do very well recently. Simon flung his arm, gesturing for Carla to leave the room which she obeyed.

"Friday sounds great" Carla said quickly and rushing to turn the phone off loud speaker and racing into Carla and Peters bedroom without Peter noticing. Conveniently, Peter had turned to close the front door as Carla ran out of his view but this was the least of Simon's worries. He had to explain where Carla was without triggering his curious mind or causing him to worry.

"DAD!" Simon exclaims going to give him a hug in an attempt to distract him from the absence of Carla.

"Hiya Son. You had a good day mate? What's Carla done to you?!" Peter joked. He'd not seen his son this enthusiastic about being in Roy's flat ever. He assumed that he and Carla has just had a brilliant day but was soon confused.

"Ahh we had a brilliant day do you want a drink?" Simon offered. Although Simon was a bright and helpful young lad, Peter had never been offered a drink by him which instantly made him think that something was up.

"No I'm alright. Where's Carla?" he panicked

"Oh she's just round the corner on the phone. Some supplier I think" Simon lied to cover up his father's birthday present.

"She doesn't work at the factory anymore Si. Is she okay?" Peter was really starting to think the worst has happened but couldn't work out why Simon was hiding it from him.

"Yeah, yeah she's fine"

"Si I want to see her. Where is she?" Peter snapped concerned for his lover, she could have been anywhere for all he knew.

"I'm here baby" Carla replied waltzing into the room with her arms open, engulfing Peter in a hug.

"You okay love?" Peter asked, confused by his previous encounter with Simon

"Yeah I'm fine. Come here" She says leaning in for a kiss which Peter was more than willing to return.

"Ewww. Put her down Dad. That's gross!" Simon said to lighten the mood and avoiding any more questions about Carla. He didn't want her to give the game away under pressure. Simon knew that Carla would crack if she was pressurised and wanted to make sure that the surprise was as special for his dad and Carla wanted.

"Sorry Si. This will be you some day you ought to get used to it" Peter replied resulting in Carla blushing

"Oh leave him alone" Carla giggled bringing Simon into a hug, scratching his head and giving him a kiss on the head, leaving a lipstick mark on his forehead

"Si, you better go look in the mirror mate" Peter laughed as Simon made his way to the bathroom leaving Carla and Peter to continue where they left off.

"I was scared you know. Don't do that to me. When Si goes home you're going to regret not greeting me at the door" Peter explained with a grin before locking lips with Carla

"Ooh I can't wait" Carla replied.


	3. Chapter 2

CHAPTER TWO

"Peter" Carla shouted from the bedroom "have you seen my mascara baby?"

"Mascara?" Peter replied from the kitchen with a piece of bacon in his hand. He had just begun making a full English breakfast for Carla, Roy and himself. This was a struggle for Peter as he was out of practise due to the fact that Roy was generally the one who made the breakfast. If he didn't then they all had cereal or toast for breakfast.

"Yeah. You know the one with the long stick with a prickly end!" She may have become a different person over the past few months but one thing that never changed, and will never change, is Carla's sarcasm.

"I'm aware of what mascara is baby and no I haven't seen it" he chuckled knowing that this was very unhelpful

"You sure?" She teased wrapping her arms around Peter's waist "you seem like the perfect bloke for it!"

"Oh do I?" Peter turned around, "well you'd better find it so I can start using it then. Where was the last time you had it?" this question was pointless as Peter knew what was coming next

"Well if I knew that, it wouldn't be lost would it, genius!" She joked, and put her lips against Peters. Their tongues started going wild in each other's mouths sending moans from Carla's body. Peter's hands moved slowly from Carla's waist to her ass and began squeezing at the muscly figure of his girlfriend's body. Carla's trembling hands moved upwards and ran through Peters luscious brown locks, pushing his face towards hers, making the moment more intimate.

"You're not going to find your mascara in there are you" came a voice from the spare bedroom door. A person of small stature and big curly hair opened the door with his fingers rubbing his eyes.

"Si?" Peter explained after seeing his son's angelic face. This generally meant that he wanted something! "What you doing here?" He asked

"Oh, mum said that it was your turn to give me lunch money for college and I decided that, since it's pretty early and I couldn't be bothered to wake up extra early, I told mum I was staying here"

"Oh, who let you up? It must have been quite late"

"Not really. It was like 11 ish. Roy let me up. I would have said hi but you and Carla were in bed already do I just made myself comfortable. Can I have my dinner money then?"

"Si it's been my turn to do the lunch money for the last few weeks" Peter turned to Carla,

"Yeah I know baby, but the kids got to eat hasn't he. Just shows you're a better parent than Leanne doesn't it!" Carla explained almost whispering in his ear causing goose bumps to appear on his skin and his hairs to stand on their ends.

"I'll second that" Simon agreed

"I'll tell your mum if you're not careful" Peter warned with a smile that disagreed with this statement.

"Well it's the truth. You brought him up well baby" replied Carla softly while getting £5 out of her purse and putting it in Simon's clammy hand to which he returned a smile.

"Thank you Carla, I knew you were the best girlfriend of dads" he reassured and ran out of the door, picking up a piece of toast on his way before his dad commented on his cheeky comment.

With a smile Carla wandered over to Peter, resting her warm body on his and wrapping her arms around his waist and resting her head on his shoulder with a giggle "I knew he had your humour" she teased, resulting is a slap on the ass from Peter.

"Ta, you two are the better parents by the way. Have a good day love birds" Simon shouted before slamming the second door that opened out into Roy's Rolls closed.

"What a lovely young man he's turned into" Carla began "do you remember what he was like last time we were a little family? He hated me!"

"Yeah but he was younger then. I'd messed up his life and he had to choose between him and you. He clearly didn't see you through the same eyes he does now. He admires you"

"Do you think?" Carla asked clearly stunned by the words that came out of Peter's mouth

"Yeah. He loves you like a mother and after that statement, it seems he would even go as far as to say he loves you more than Leanne!"

"And you more than Nick" Carla compromised, turning into him and pecking him on the lips before leaning into a huge cuddle.

"Wow, we really are the perfect couple aren't we?!" Peter sighed, looking back on his past girlfriends. He loved his little family more than the world, he really wouldn't have them any other way.

"I think we might be baby, I think we might be" Carla agreed as she began nibbling at her lover's neck.

"Right we need to go to work. The place won't run itself!" Peter announced, ruining the intimate moment.

"Yeah I guess you're right" Peter and Carla both left their embrace and headed into their bedroom to change into more respectable clothing for the workplace. After all, Carla would never be seen outside of Peter, Simon or Michelle's eyes looking anything other than her absolute best. While changing both Carla and Peter had to avoid the temptation of skipping work so that they could have fun in bed with each other. Carla's figure turned Peter on by just the thought of it, let alone actually seeing it as she changed on the other side of the room from him. He took one glance over at Carla who was standing in her material less underwear and floral, lacy bra. As much as he tried to hide it, Carla knew that Peter was aroused by her due to the evident bulge that could be seen through his trousers. She wanted him inside her but knew that her business needed running too. She could always continue this later.

Breakfast took half an hour and once everything was left as they found it the couple made their way out of Roy's small flat. Closing the downstairs door behind them, Carla and Peter waved goodbye to Roy and headed through the café and out the main door. Peter reached for Carla's hand and the pair walked hand in hand over the road to the factory. They were greeted by their employees, who all seemed to be on time for a change, and opened up the Underworld doors for the machinists to begin work. This was going to be a good day. Carla and Peter had woken up to a brilliant morning and Simons comment about them being the better parents had really brightened up their mornings.

Hours went by without any issues other than a random break out into song and dance a few hours back when Kylie Minogue came on the radio. This was, at first, welcomed by the Underworld bosses as laughter was a rare occurrence in the factory, but after the song had finished and the workers were still dancing, Peter decided to step in before the place turned into a karaoke bar.

Before they knew it, lunch had arrived. As if it were clockwork, one of the machinists knocked on the office door dead on one o'clock to ask if they could go off to lunch, today it was Sean's turn. As soon as they were given the okay, the workers ran out of the Underworld doors like a stampede. Peter and Carla were sure that this was the only time that their employees moved faster than walking pace throughout the day. The knicker stitchers had left the factory in an eerie silence which was soon interrupted by a hungry Carla.

"Right" Carla began, "I've done this month's accounts and that Carlson's order is ahead of schedule. This has been a very productive day baby" Carla smiled,

"You could say that" Peter stretched his arms out and let out a long, tired sigh "did that thing Simon said this morning make you feel like you've achieved something? I feel like, after all my boozing and changing of lovers, I've actually raised a pretty decent little boy. He's twice the man I'll ever be" Peter admitted

"Yeah but he's not my son so I guess less so than you…" Carla began

"...but you love him like one don't you" Peter interrupted

"You know what, yes I do. And I am super proud of him. He's stolen my heart that one, the way he's grown up and changed before my eyes. It's crazy really. I never thought I would ever day that" a tear formed in Carla's eye which was soon followed by another. A pile of them joined and threatened to spill down her tanned face.

"Look at you welling up! I didn't know how much you care about him"

"Awww he means the world to me. He used to just be something that came with dating you, but now he's like a son to me. I'd even go to say that I love him like a child of my own"

"Right" Peter started, "how about we send the workforce home for an early leave? You said yourself that we are ahead of the Carlson's order didn't you? So why don't we send everyone home and have a lazy afternoon" Peter suggested.

"Sounds like a plan. Have you got everything done? I don't want the work to stack up and become unbearable"

"No, but it can be moved to tomorrow's work. There's hardly anything left to do"

"You sure?" Carla questioned, concerned that he was just saying this to avoid the work.

"Spending an evening with you? Of course I'm sure"

"I love you Peter Barlow"

"I love you too Carla Connor"

After telling the workers that they had the rest of the day off, Carla and Peter headed home while the machinists scurried off to the Rovers. The two had an afternoon cuddled up on the sofa until Roy came up after closing up for the night. The three of them made their way to bed pretty early after the early start that morning. With an early night, Carla, Peter and Roy were all guaranteed to have as good of a day tomorrow as they had enjoyed today. Carla knew that she would have to kick Peter out of the house early in the morning to allow Simon to pop in before heading out to view the Victoria Court flat. She was still trying to find a solution to the fact that Simon was due over at Roy's at the same time that Peter generally went off to work, but she decided that she would cross that bridge when she got to it. Carla put her mind to rest and fell asleep in Peters loving arms, excited for the day to come.


	4. Chapter 3

CHAPTER THREE

Today was Friday and was the arranged day that Carla and Simon were going to look around the flat in Victoria Court. The first this that Carla needed to do was get Peter out of the house earlier than usual in order to prevent him and Simon bumping into each other and ultimately ruining the surprise.

"Morning love" Peter greeted Carla as he walked into to the kitchen running a hand through his soft hair

"Morning" Carla replied, handing Peter a bowl full of Weetabix and that she was about to go into their bedroom with to speed up the morning routine. "I was just about to bring you breakfast in bed" she explained

"Eager to get rid of me are you?" Peter joked

"Just shove that down your neck will you, you've got a long day today. I want you to get some biscuits for the girls, and Sean of course, before world war three starts. Yes that will mean that you need to get out a little earlier than normal and I'm sorry baby" She lied while attempting to talk him round "but would you rather be eaten alive by the machinists or take your gorgeous girlfriends advice and leave the house a few minutes earlier. I'd like you home in one piece please" Carla convincingly explained.

"Fair enough. Do you not think I can take that miserable lot on then?" Peter questioned

"No I have no doubt that you could handle them but I don't want to come in tomorrow to find the workers on strike because of us removing their rights as workers. Just go and get them eh" Carla hurried, concerned that Simon would arrive before Peter had left the flat.

"Fine" he said with a mouth full of Weetabix, finishing his bowl. "I better be off then, Dev's here we come" he exclaimed sarcastically

"Have a great day love" Carla said, catching his lips with hers before he ran out of the flat, down the stairs, through the café and out onto the street. Carla was grateful that Peter didn't stop to talk to Roy on his way out. She was well aware that once Peter Barlow had started talking, it would take a miracle for him to leave without being hurried along by somebody!

A few minutes later Carla's phone vibrated, it made a louder sound then usual as it was laying on top of a saucepan so the noise echoed around the pan. Carla ran over to her phone, knowing that the vibration indicated that there was a message awaiting her. She picked up her phone and waited for her eyes to focus on the bright screen. The message read:

"I'm downstairs and ready! X"

And above it had the name Si. Carla gave a soppy grin when she read the message, not because of the content but purely because he had gone out of his way to include a large kiss as the end of his message. After seeing this, it was confirmed in Carla's mind that Simon really did love him as a mother figure in his life which made her go all gooey and warm inside.

With Simon waiting for her downstairs with Roy, Carla made sure that she got out to him quickly before anyone suspected anything. She knew that this was unlikely but when she kept secrets, Carla had a habit of assuming everybody knew that she was hiding something so always ensured that her movements and conversations were subtle so she didn't give the game away.

After grabbing the door keys, her bag and her coat, Carla ran down the stairs to greet her loving stepson.

"Hiya Si!" Carla exclaimed

"Hey. You alright?" Simon responded leading in for a hug, making her go all soft again. It was annoying that he had this effect on her as, if anyone found out, it would ruin her bitchy reputation.

"Yeah not bad thanks. Right let's get going before Peter realises that he's forgotten something and comes back. What did you tell Leanne you were doing today?" She asked, making sure that Peters birthday surprise stayed between the two of them because she knew how fast news travels around Coronation Street.

"Oh just that I was going out with some mates. She seemed to accept it with no questioning, it's pretty easy to talk around our Leanne. Don't worry, your secret is safe with me!" He said with a huge smile across his face. Simon was extremely excited about today and seemed naturally comfortable in Carla's company, a shared feeling between them. It was weird that only a few years back, Carla and Simon hated each other and yet here they were, side by side, making plans for a future together.

Having left Roy's Rolls, Simon and Carla took the short walk to Victoria Court. Carla found herself and Simon making sure they surveyed the area before and after walking to ensure that Peter hadn't seen them on their short trek.

As the two walked the final few strides to Victoria Court, the pair were greeted by a tall young lady with brown flowing hair and a clipboard in her hand. She was wearing a navy blazer that cut off around her hips with a long, white shirt that formed close to her figure. On her legs she had navy blue trousers and a pair of beige heels to complete the look. Her appearance screamed estate agent.

"Hello there. You must be Mrs Connor" the lady said, confirming her identity and holding out her hand for Carla to shake.

"Oh please call me Carla and this is my stepson Simon" Carla replied and the estate agent shook his hand too.

"Well Carla, Simon my name is Charlotte and I'm going to be your supervisor. Could you please sign here? It just agrees that if anything in the house is damaged by yourself or Simon then you'll have to pay for the repair" Charlotte explained as she pointed to a dotted line on her piece of paper that was attached to a wooden clipboard, she handed Carla a pen as she did this. Taking the pen, Carla quickly signed the paperwork so that she could stop panicking about Peter seeing what she and Simon were doing. Once she had done this, the three of them made their way up two flights of stairs and walked a few paces before arriving at number 6.

Charlotte took a large collection of keys out of her pocket, which were making a right racket as she walked up the stairs, and found the one with the number six sharpied on it. She put the shiny key into the door, turned it to the right twice and pushed the door open.

"Welcome to your possible new home" Charlotte announced as she swung her arm, gesturing to Carla and Simon to enter to flat to which they obeyed.

They had taken three steps before Simon blurted out "Oh my" he was stood in the centre of the living room with his mouth open in awe of his surroundings. It was safe to say that the flat was as perfect in person as it was on the website, perhaps even more.

"Close your mouth Simon or are so hungry that you're trying to catch flies?!" Carla giggled

"It's pretty perfect for bringing up a family. It's spacious and modern with a very reasonable price. I can see you two being very happy here" Charlotte commented as the two observed a living space fit for them and Peter.

"That's true. I'd love to live here and happy is an understatement. You know it's actually better than the photos online" stated Simon who was obviously taken by the place

"Hold on Simon. Let's have a look at the bedrooms mate. Peter might not like the wardrobe space!" Carla joked, knowing that even if the wardrobe was dodgy, she would buy the flat regardless.

The open plan Kitchen and living room made for a perfect space that would enable the family to communicate throughout the main rooms. With a large island in the middle of the kitchen, it would suit Peter perfectly for cooking and a corner sofa that Simon would enjoy. The fact that everyone would be happy was enough for Carla, she was taken from the first glance she had taken from the front door. A deposit was almost guaranteed.

The three looked around the bedrooms, which neither one of them had a problem with. Simon had even chosen his room! He made sure he chose the second biggest as he knew that Carla and Peter would want the biggest. Both en-suites were sizeable and modern which got the approval from Simon and the immense size of the bath got an approval from Carla. This flat was perfect for them: Carla, Peter and Simon Barlow.

After looking around the flat, Carla's stomach began to rumble which didn't go unnoticed by Simon. He was sure that he felt the ground shake a little!

"My God. Was that your stomach?" Simon giggled, knowing for a fact that it wasn't him and Charlotte was on the other side of the room.

"Might have been" Carla replied

Her body created the perfect queue for them to leave.

"This is fabulous. When can I place a deposit?" Carla questioned keenly

"Tomorrow morning on this website" Charlotte handed Carla a small card that had all the information she needed

"Thank you Charlotte. You've been most helpful. You will be hearing from me tomorrow" Carla smiled which got a small fist pump in the air from Simon, he was a little enthusiastic about this wonderful idea and couldn't wait for it to become a reality.

They made their way down the Victoria Court stairs and out onto the street. Carla glanced across the road to the factory to see that all of the lights were off and assumed that Peter must have gone home. This was a relief as she didn't have to worry about him randomly making an appearance. With that the two of them strolled down Coronation Street linked at the arm.

"Fancy a chippy tea?" Carla was secretly craving chips and decided that Simon should make the last choice so that he could take the blame for her putting on weight.

"You read my mind"

"Right let's go then" Carla replied, delighted at Simons decision.

Carla and Simon headed toward Prima Donner, got their chips and made their way back to Roy's. Peter was home so Simon went back out to go and get Peter a bunch of chips after he moaned non-stop when Carla and Simon got home. They watched a James Bond film and were about to put on the next one when Simons phone buzzed. He was summoned by Leanne, so jumped up quickly to go back home leaving Carla and Peter to snuggle up and watch the second James Bond alone until they both fell asleep watching the film. That one was going to have to be re-watched tomorrow evening!


	5. Chapter 4

Waking up early, Carla opened up her laptop screen ready to be the first to place a deposit on the Victoria Court flat. She reckoned it was too nice for her to be the only bidder so decided that it would show how keen she was by applying early. It was 5am when Carla was able to place a bid with was only a couple of hundred pounds off the price that the seller asked for. She watched as people placed other bids below her own until someone placed a bid higher. Just as she was about to bid higher, the internet suddenly crashed. Carla sighed deeply to let out her frustration without waking Peter and kept reloading the page in the hope that the issue would fix its self.

"Car" came a groany voice from the bedroom "you okay?"

"Yeah baby I'm through here"

"Carla smacked her laptop screen down and raced to the sofa, picking up a magazine in an attempt to hide her birthday present from Peter. Peter's steps got louder as he approached Carla who was now snuggled into the corner of the sofa.

"Come here love. You scared me. I thought you'd made a run for it again" he sat on the other end of the sofa and Carla came over and lay on-top of him

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to frighten you. I had a bad night. Not because of my brain playing up but because it was too hot under the duvet but too cold outside of it. I was rolling about all night and just couldn't get back to sleep. Decided that I should come out here and do something productive..."

"So you picked up a magazine?" Peter interrupted

"Hang on. I've done a few loads of washing and put them through the dryer. Don't tell me that I'm being unproductive" Carla lied

"I know and I'm grateful, I really am. I love you ya know!"

"Yeah of course I do dafty!" Carla giggled leaning in to kiss her lovers lips. Peter added a tongue which Carla accepted and lovingly returned.

"What's the time?" asked Peter

"6:45"

"We've got 50 minutes"

"Well we had better make them count then, eh"

Peter passionately kissed Carla and began squeezing at her muscly figure which he knew turned Carla on, tongues fighting at the same time. This continued until suddenly she felt a large body part against her thigh. Peter's dick had erected and was ready for Carla to enjoy, she wasn't going to waste this opportunity. Carla rolled off the sofa and pulled Peter along with her, running to the bedroom when a voice shouted up the stairs "Dad I need some dinner money"

"Ask Roy to give you a fiver and tell him that I'll pay him back later" Peter responded, panic in his voice. He didn't want Simon to know what he and Carla were doing upstairs.

"Okay, you guys having fun up there?" He asked with a giggle. Simon wasn't stupid, he knew that his dad would always use his own money to pay for Simons meals. This is why he knew something was up. It wasn't until a small giggle was let out from Carla that gave the game away as Peter has responded with "shhhh!" Causing her to giggle more. Simon was aware of what his dad and step mum were up to and wasn't going let this occasion slide!

"Yeah we're just playing twister" Peter lied and looked at Carla, who was struggling to contain her laughter, and shrugged his shoulders. If this didn't confirm what the pair were up to for Simon then nothing would.

"Oh alright dad. Stop lying. You've always been a crap liar. I've got spare 'special socks' in my drawer if you need them" he chuckled knowing that this hint towards a condom would wind Carla up as well

"Alright Si, you've had your fun now go to school" Carla reasoned to which the downstairs door closed. "What a little devil, he must get it from you!"

"Oh the cheek" Peter smiled and began a tickle war with Carla in an attempt to resume where they started.

Both Carla and Peter ran towards the bed and jumped on it. They placed their lips on each other. Peter grabbed at Carla's shirt and fumbled about with the buttons until he was able to expose her muscly figure. He kissed on Carla's neck as well as undoing her bra strap causing her to moan softly. Once removed, Peter nibbled at his lover's nipples while removing his own T-shirt. Carla removed her skirt showing her knickers using very little material.

"Wow!" Peter exclaimed "she's still got it"

He continued down Carla's body, kissing at every point. Carla's moans got louder. Peter had reached his destination and wasn't going to let go quickly. He ran his tongue around Carla's vagina causing her to reach for his head and play with his hair. Her moans moved to groans until finally she reached her orgasm peak. At this point, Peter teased and pulled away, Carla's breathing began to steady and she sat up to passionately kiss Peter again but this time, not hesitating to begin war with their tongues.

Carla began to undo Peter's belt buckle fast as she was desperate to feel him in her. Once the buckle was undone, Peter moved dick out of his trousers, pulling his trousers off in the process and throwing them on the floor as he took control of the situation. Grabbing carless bear legs Peter pulled them throwing Carla back onto the bed in the heat of the moment. Kissing continued until Peter was done with teasing "you ready baby" he asked "I want you" came the reply

From this he pushed himself into Carla "oh my god" she whimpered between gasps of pleasure threatening to turn into screams. He plunged in harder and faster, picking up pace making him sweat and his heart beat twice as fast. Carla's moans said everything. She didn't need to say anything, but with her moans Peter knew when she was enjoying it. Peter felt as if he were going to explode. He'd been with Carla for what seemed like seconds but was actually minutes and he was struggling to hold himself from ejaculating everywhere. Carla's body turned Peter on so much that he knew every time he had the chance to have sex with her, it wasn't going to last as long as he wished. Having said this, he wasn't complaining as he knew that he had the hottest girl to ever walk Coronation Street and for that he knew he was winning. He had the perfect girlfriend, the perfect family, and the perfect job that he had always dreamed of having and was beginning to enjoy life again.

"Oh my god Peter keep going" Carla screeched as Peter was drawn back to the here and now. He did as his lover asked (he'd have been an idiot not to) and penetrated inside Carla until both of them reached their climax. Peter let out his semen into Carla and Carla's juices exploded from within her leaving them both exhausted by the end.

The couple lay wrapped in each other's body's and slept for a few more minutes as it was Michelle's turn to open up the factory but the pair had to be out the house soon.

After waking up, Carla and Peter re dressed themselves and headed down to the factory and arrived just in time. There was a meeting in the diary that both of them bad forgotten about.

"Ughh. There's a meeting in the diary arranged with Hamlin" Carla complained

"Oh baby. I went last week"

"Oi you" Carla began walking towards Peter, put her arms around his neck and whispered "I gave you a brilliant start to the day and I'm exhausted because of you" goose bumps covered Peters skin as he reached for Carla's ass.

"You'll get more of that in the near future if you behave and go to this meeting"

"That's blackmail you know"

"I know" she mumbled while locking lips "but it's not my fault that I'm the key to your heart" she giggled

"Fine" He accepted

"Run along then baby. I'll see you later" Peter did as Carla asked and ran along receiving a smack on the bum on the way out.

Carla needed to log back into her account and ensure that her final bid on the Victoria Court flat was put through. Nothing showed up on the screen.

"Michelle" Carla pleaded

"Yes babe"

"I put a bid down on a flat that me and Si really liked but our internet crashed just as I put in my highest bid. I don't think I've got the flat and I'm fumin" Carla cried

"Oh my love" Michelle went to go and give Carla a hug and held her head to make her feel safe and supported. She had learnt this technique from Carla's more drastic psychosis episodes. "I'm sure there's another flat that is just as good" she continued before Carla cut her off "but that's just the thing" she began, tears streaming down her face, parting the layer of makeup that Carla had applied earlier on that morning. "It was perfect. There were three room and everything and a perfect kitchen. It was like it was made for us. Modern yet slightly traditional with the most amazing features that would suit us all. Si even looked round it with me and said how perfect it was. I was going to surprise Peter on his birthday with the flat but I've ruined it. That flat was going to be the final price to make all of our lives perfect. Roy's flat is great but with Si growing up, he wants to live somewhere much more modern, somewhere where he would bring his mates home from school to and not feel embarrassed by the traditional style and presence of old objects. So even said that he would totally spend more time with me and Peter than Leanne if we lived there. That would have made the dream complete 'chelle. Just le Si and a Peter all together in the most amazing flat. That's all I wanted. Why do things always for wrong for me. It's like I'm cursed and it's so unfair on Si and Peter. Sometimes I wish that they would leave me to stop them from being a part of this cruel curse." Her voice trailed off as tears began to take over. She buried her head in Michelle's chest which she openly accepted.

"There will be other flat you know darlin'. You and Peter have plenty of other potential houses. It might not be in time for his birthday but there's always next year. Also this case you're talking about isn't a real thing. It's part of your psychosis my love. Have you been taking your medication?"

"Yes I have. Every morning and every evening. I wish it would just go away"

"I know darlin'. I know. But just think how far you've come since then eh. You can go out and 9 times out of 10 you'll be fine. You have to odd panic attack but it's dramatically less frequent than before."

"Yeah"

The work day continued as normal. The girls, and Sean, were as gobby, as usual, and knicker stitching was reasonably productive. Peter got back later than expected and strolled into Roy's flat to see Carla asleep on the couch. He picked her up and moved her into their bedroom, cuddling up close like the couple did in the morning, leading to a peaceful nights rest for both of them.


	6. Chapter 5

**So guys I'm so sorry that it has taken me so long to upload this chapter. I've been caught up with sixth form work which obviously a priority over this! Definitely going to make uploads more regular so that you guys can continue reading this journey as I write it. Might try uploading weekly and see how that goes but, like I said, school work definitely takes priority. In the meantime, check out Charlotte's fanfiction about Carla and Peter. It's amazing and defo worth the read, she doesn't know just how talented she is so go and show her some love. Her old fanfic is called "Back In Weatherfield" and is by CarlaFromCorrie and also go and follow her new chapter "Life" which is also turning out to be a pretty awesome story which she has assured me has twists and turns! Anyway, I have rambled on enough so I'll let you get on with the reason you selected this chapter… enjoy and don't forget to review. I'm always up for constructive criticism. **

CHAPTER FIVE

Carla felt rough this morning after the long day she had encountered yesterday. She knew that it was her turn to open up Underworld and Peter had done it yesterday so it seemed only fair if she did it today. Being careful not to disturb Peter, she rolled out of bed and crept to the wardrobe to pick an outfit. She picked out a shirt that hugged her figure, a pair of tights and a small skirt that she knew Peter liked. Closing the wardrobe slowly she was startled by Peter kissing her softly on the neck, wrapping his muscly arms around her waist and whispering "you're not really going to wear those to work are you?" After coming to terms with the fact that Peter was, in fact, awake and getting over her near heart attack, Carla realised that she had picked out a navy blue shirt and black skirt. She sighed heavily and put her head in her hands.

"You alright love?" Peter asked, concerned for his girlfriend's wellbeing as he knew that getting fashion this wrong was a rare thing for her, especially if Peter could spot it.

"My head hurts and I feel a bit rough to be honest baby. I'll live" she shrugged and began to walk out of the bedroom.

"Hey" Peter shouted in an attempt to stop her from leaving the room "I can open up today if you like. You made it up to me more than enough yesterday, one day today is alright" he offered

"No baby it's not fair on you though. Like I said, I'll live" she said, adamant that she would be okay.

"I tell you what. Why don't you take the whole day off today? I can hold the fort while you concentrate on getting better. No arguments. I'll call Michelle, there's nothing better than a bit of retail therapy is there?" Peter grinned

"Peter I said I'm fine" She argued

"Carla, I just said no arguments. You and Michelle are going shopping while I go to work. Stop being stubborn and just go and get a few more hours sleep before Michelle comes around"

"I can't win with you can I?" Carla smiled and made her way over to Peter, wrapping her arms around his neck. "What would I do without you, eh? You're my hero Peter Barlow"

"Don't I know it" he kissed her on the cheek and made his way to the shower while Carla made herself comfortable and she slowly began to drift off to sleep.

Hours went by when Carla was awakened by the vibration of her phone. She turned on her side and rubbed her tired eyes in an attempt to make them adjust to the light faster. An arm reached from under the duvet cover to get her phone which she removed from the charging cable and pressed the power on button. The bright glare from the phone screen forced Carla to squint and quickly turn her phone off before preparing herself for take two of this situation. This time it wasn't so bad but the message she read made her jump up out of bed quicker than she had ever done in her whole life. Michelle had messaged her, saying that she would be leaving The Rovers Return in ten minutes.

Carla knew that she didn't have enough time to have a shower, so she threw her hair up into a ponytail and started on her make up. She decided, due to the lack of time, that she would only apply some foundation, a little bit of concealer and a load of blusher to make her appear a bit more alive than she felt. Running back into her bedroom, she picked up some black, denim jeans and a white skin tight top and put them on. She then grabbed her black leather jacket and rushed to get her heeled boots on.

Another vibration came from Carla's phone. It was Michelle. She was waiting for Carla in the car outside of Roy's Rolls.

Carla ran down the stairs as quickly as she could, which wasn't very fast due to the sheer size of her heels, raced through the café, nearly knocking a cup of tea out of Roy's hands in the process and jumped into the passenger seat with Michelle giggling in the driver's seat.

"Sleep in did ya?" She laughed

"Yeah something like that" Carla replied taking deep breaths after her rushing around Roy's flat for the last ten minutes. Michelle began to drive off to the shopping centre in the middle of town.

"What did you need to buy?" Michelle asked as Carla looked rushed off her feet, trying to reduce the pace of her breaths without making it too obvious to Michelle.

"I don't need anything really. I was just feeling a bit rough this morning and Peter decided that I needed some retail therapy. To be honest, I just want to sleep."

"Awww, babe that's not like you" Michelle began "What did you eat last night?"

"Just some sausage and chips with Peter and Si. They tasted normal, you know, fatty and with way too much salt. I'm beginning to wonder whether I've had too many"

"Could be food poisoning" Michelle suggested

"It's unlikely! We went to Prima Donner, not that dirty looking chippy off Crown Street" Carla smiled

The conversation was limited for the rest of the journey as the two were listening to the radio. Zoe Ball was having an interesting conversation with a guest about how the rag trade was declining, forcing more and more knicker factories to go out of business. Michelle knew that this was something that Carla needed to hear so thought it was best to leave the conversation until their arrival at the shopping centre. They were going to spend all day together after all, they could catch up then.

On arriving at the shopping centre, Carla had decided that she wanted to get a load of mugs for the girls, and Sean, in the factory. She was aware that those mugs were getting old and increasingly unhygienic, not to mention the sudden decrease in number. Carla was sure that someone had been breaking the mug so decided that it was probably best if she replaced them before the moaning began.

They started in John Lewis, the shop that was furthest away so that they could make their way back logically and allowing time to do a bit of window shopping on the way back to the car park.

On walking in, Michelle and Carla were distracted by the handbags that were displayed closely to the entrance of the store, luring the pair in. Both girls had a collection of handbags in their wardrobes, something that annoyed Peter Barlow way more than he let on, which took up a load of space. The first bag Carla went up to she turned the price tag over which made her pull a funny face that resulted in her eyes crumpling up and her lips to open wide in a circular shape, forcing her to let out a loud "caugh". Michelle giggled and pulled on Carla's arm, walking away before they bought more than just mugd, dragging Carla along with her. She led Carla to the cutlery and crockery section after running around at least three different floors before finding what they were looking for in the labyrinth store. There were rows upon rows of mugs on display, all of different shapes and sizes.

"Right" Carla began "We need to find a mug for each of the workers. Preferably different for each worker so that we know who breaks the mugs. Did I tell you about that?"

"Yes. About 6 times now" Michelle giggled

"How about this one for Beth" Michelle pointed in the direction of a mug with the words 'sorry I'm late, I didn't want to be here' written across it

"Perfect although I'm not sure she'd find the fun in that one! Why not get her something like this one?" Carla said, holding up a china, deep blue shark mug with a floral crown on its head. She smiled although the concept of it was growing on her.

"Eyy we could get this one for Kirk" Michelle chuckled as she held up a shark with slightly darker blue tones and with a hula skirt rather than the floral crown.

The pair laughed and put the two mugs into the shopping basket

"Two down, three to go!" Carla cheered.

"We've been here over two hours now Car. We better get a move on if we're going to get out of here before it closes" Michelle reminded Carla. Time always seemed to pass the pair by when they were out shopping together, like they say, time really does fly by when you're having fun.

"Oh gosh. Well I've seen one for Sean already" Carla explained, running to another shelf and picking out a rather large, yellow mug in the shape of a star. It had a little smiley face, pink splodges to mark the cheeks and the words 'I don't sweat, I sparkle' engraved into it.

Michelle rolled her eyes and replied with "it's perfect! I found this one for Sinead" Michelle gestured to a mug that was placed in the shopping basket already. She must have picked it up and placed it in the shopping basket without having run it by Carla first. It was in the shape of the character Little Miss Sunshine from the Mr Men series. Having looked at it, Carla gave a reassuring nod and a smile to Michelle to which she placed the mug back into her metal basket that she held by her side. There was only Izzy left to buy for.

Carla and Michelle ran around the shop looking for a suitable mug for Izzy. There were several contenders by the end but the pair managed to narrow it down to a shortlist of two. This list included a mug that said 'beware, I am small but feisty' and larger mug in the shape of a unicorn that read 'why be anything else if you can be a unicorn'. Michelle made the last judgement and the unicorn won them over. Placing the last mug in the basket, a set of two mugs caught Carla's eye. She walked in the direction of it and picked them up. Both mugs were large, perfect for Carla and Peter's habit of over drinking coffee in the morning and then regularly throughout the day. One mug had the words 'the boss' written across it in capital and bold letters while the other used curly gold writing with the words 'the real boss' scribed across the mug. Carla let out a small giggle and placed it on top of the other mugs.

"Right, lets pay then" Carla announced as the two best friends made their way, arm in arm, to the checkout counter. All of the items were scanned through and popped up on the till with a relatively cheap expense attached to them which surprised but Michelle and Carla. Using the work card, Carla payed for the brand new mugs and picked them up off the end of the till in a rather large John Lewis bag.

"Back to the car?" Michelle asked

"yep" Carla agreed

The two walked beside each other, linked at the elbow. Not much window shopping happened but Carla and Michelle were distracted by a lovely set of lacy lingerie that was displayed inside the Ann Summers shop window, but the two of them decided to leave it for today and continue back to the car.

"Right. That's one less job to do now" Carla stated, grabbing hold of her stomach as she slid into Michelle's car.

"You still feeling rough babe?" Michelle asked, concerned for her friend

"Yeah. I don't do ill. I'm sure I'll be fine in the morning. I'll just sleep it off!" She giggled

"It's not a hangover you know!" Michelle joked.

"I'm fully aware of that Michelle Connor now will you back off before I slap you" Carla joked in response. Michelle decided to stop teasing Carla as she knew that Carla would bite her head off if she wasn't careful.

"Why don't you have a little nap now?" Michelle offered "I've put the heated seats on and we've got about half an hour until we get home. Mind you, the traffic is probably going to be pretty awful!"

"Yeah. I will actually. Thanks 'Chelle, I really don't know what I'd do without you sometimes!"

Silence was kept for around five minutes before Carla broke the silence with "being ill sucks". A little sigh escaped her mouth which resulted in a giggle from Michelle

"I know darling, I know. Now go to sleep before I force you to!" Michelle laughed. This was the only way to prevent the car journey home consisting of repetitive moans and complaints from Carla, besides, she needed sleep anyway, and no amount of concealer could hide the bags that fell beneath her green eyes.

Carla's eyes began to become heavy and eventually she gave into her tiredness and fell asleep. Michelle was reassured by Carla's deep, even breaths that sounded a little like cat purrs. Carla slept the all the way home and, with Peters assistance, she was carried upstairs and put straight to bed. She was clearly tired as she didn't wake once while Peter moved her from the heated leather seats in Michelle's Mercedes, to the large, double bed that Carla and Peter shared in Roy's abode.

"Cheers Peter" Michelle said as she knew that she would never be strong enough to carry Carla up the stairs, let alone without waking her!

"No problem. Did she seem any better after a bit of shopping? Ya know, retail therapy and all that"

"To be honest peter, I've never seen her like this before. She seemed really down and sounded sniffley and like she's coming down with something"

Michelle's phone beeped. She turned the screen to face her and sighed "Steve wants me home, he's made my dinner bless him. Spag Bol or sommet!" She giggled

"Okay well have a good one won't you" Peter replied

"I will, look after Car. I'm really worried for her, I'm sure it's over nothing but just keep an eye on her and let me know how she is tomorrow morning. Anyway, wish me luck!"

"Yeah will do. See you tomorrow hopefully 'Chelle. Take it Steve has gotten no better at cooking then" Peter said while opening the door and letting Michelle out.

"Nope, I'm almost certain he gave me food poisoning last time he cooked for me, bless him" Michelle walked away from the Café and headed for home. Behind her, Peter closed the door and headed towards the bedroom where Carla as flat out. Peter didn't want to disturb her and so decided to leave her in her jeans and top and snuggled up beside her carefully so not to scare her. She didn't stir once.

"I love you" he whispered but Carla was already fast asleep.

**Forgot to mention in the beginning notes that you can also follow Charlotte and I on Instagram. Our names are coronationstreetclips (also with a memes page called coronationstreetmemes) and carlafromcorrie. Also, while you're at it, go and give our incredibly talented best friends Abs ( carlaconnorvs) and Char ( carlaspeterr), Ali and Chris are so lucky to have you all as fans and, not to mention, I am so lucky to have you all by my side and fighting my corner. You may all be a little crazy and constantly tipsy but I wouldn't want you any other way.**

**Thanks for all the views and comments. Hope you're enjoying my story so far X**


	7. Chapter 6

CHAPTER SIX

Carla had had a rough night due to an ill feeling that took over her body. The feeling hadn't made her throw up but she felt as if she could any minute and the feeling only got worse. It was around one o'clock in the morning when Carla awoke Peter after her sick feeling got too much for her to handle. She rarely got sick so when she was Peter knew something was seriously wrong.

"Baby wake up" Carla said softly, pushing Peter gently so that he rocked enough to wake him up. She stirred and did his morning growl before rolling over and slowly opening his tired eyes

"What's wrong my love?" He growled while blinking hoping that his eyes would adjust to the light in the room quickly before Carla realised that he was too tired for him to help her out.

"I feel sick. I've been awake since eleven o'clock with this sick feeling in my stomach and it's just getting worse. You know that feeling where you need to be sick to feel better?" Carla sobbed, leaning into Peter's chest as he plays with her hair in the hope that this might send her to sleep

"I know that feeling love. Try and get back to sleep, it might make you feel better" Peter suggested. Carla nodded and accepted the fact that her lover was probably right. With the lack of sleep, constant mood swings and illness Carla decided that she was probably over reacting and was soon sent to sleep by Peters gentle brushing through her hair.

Peter was awoken by a sudden movement of Carla's where she rolled over, stayed still for a few seconds before shouting "Peter" and running to the bathroom. She fell to the toilet with Peter hot on her heels and threw up all of last night's meal into it.

"Oh darling" Peter began, holding Carla's hair up out Of her face "I didn't realise you were that ill. Where do you think this bug has come from then?" He asked, confused as to how Carla had gotten ill in the first place. If he knew where this bug had come from, he could work out how to treat it and what to expect of this situation.

"I'm not sure" Carla said "none of the girls or Sean have been off sick so it makes no sense"

"How strange" Peter replied

A loud moan came from Carla before she began crying "Peter it hurts" she wept with her hands on her stomach

"Where baby?"

"My head, my stomach. Just everything. My everything hurts. Make it stop" Her eyes started to fill with tears and they eventually overflowed sending tears trailing down her bare face.

"Oh my love" he was interrupted by Carla curling over the toilet and heaving out her insides once again

Peter walked over and placed a hand on her back, moving it around in circular motions in the hope that this would comfort her. After her body had finished what it needed to do she shuffled backwards a few paces and slouched against the bathtub without having to stand up as she could predict that she would feel dizzy if she had done.

"I hate being ill. I'm never ill" Carla sobbed as she tipped her head back into the side of the bathtub. Although her colour had started to come back, Carla still felt unwell and concluded that she would give Sally a ring so that she could relax for the day. Peter also decided to phone up Street Cars and told them that he needed a day off to take care of Carla. This unusual period of sickness had thrown Peter off. He'd never really had to deal with Carla being this ill so when she began feeling sick early this morning, he panicked. Peter hated seeing Carla in pain and the worst part was knowing that there was nothing he could do to take the pain away for her.

"Can I get you anything to eat love?" Peter offered handing Carla a mug full of coffee that he had freshly made. Carla was still in the bathroom, leaning against the bathtub. She didn't want to move due to the risk of her fainting or falling and seriously injuring herself. Instead she stayed where she was and went over the places that she could have caught a bug or any other reason why she might be so ill in her head. She had concluded nothing and so decided to stop thinking about it, all this brainpower wasn't helping her pounding head in the slightest.

"Just some toast would be lovely. Thanks babe" Carla replied in response to Peters offer.

"Coming up" Peter smiled, leaning in and kissing his lover in the forehead hoping to reassure Carla that everything was going to be okay.

Peter wandered back into the kitchen and placed two pieces of wholemeal bread into the toaster, pushed the lever down and walked to the bathroom in order to assist Carla over to the sofa before she strained her back. He walked into the bathroom to find Carla in the same place but with her head in her hands and her eyes closed, she was clearly struggling with this migraine which seemed to take over her body.

"Come on you" Peter began as Carla lifted her head from her hands and looked into her lover's dark brown eyes "let's get you somewhere more comfortable before you feel unwell and have a broken back. I can only cope with so much complaining" he joked but Carla really wasn't in the mood for this amount of energy.

Peter wrapped his arm around Carla's waist and lifted her up to a standing position. Carla threw her arm over Peter's neck and put the majority of her weight onto him as she felt that she could faint at any moment. The two began moving in the direction of the living room, Carla following Peter's lead as she shuffled over to the sofa. Peter laid Carla down on the sofa and threw a blue fluffy blanket over her just as the toaster pinged, sending the toast flying everywhere. He ran over to the toaster as the smell of freshly grilled bread filled the flat. The smell made its way around the room and into Carla's system, triggering a nauseous feeling to overcome her body.

"Peter" She shouted as she jumped off the sofa and stumbled to the bathroom. Her weak muscles slowed her down and she nearly missed the toilet when letting her body do what it needed to do in order for her to feel better. Peter was hot on her heels as he dropped the butter knife and ran after Carla, wishing that he could cure her illness.

"Feel any better?" Peter asked once Carla had made it clear that she had finished by shuffling back and leaning against the bathtub. She nodded and pointed at her toothbrush which Peter grabbed hold of and squeezed a pea sized amount of toothpaste onto it before handing it over to Carla who definitely looked much better than before. Carla shoved the toothbrush into her mouth and pushed it around her mouth, getting rid of the sick taste in her mouth. She then used the toilet seat to force her weak muscles to work, at which point Peter ran to her assistance and heaved her up so that she could spit out the lathered toothpaste out of her mouth.

"Right, have you phoned Sal?" Carla asked, she clearly felt better as she was up and moving with no trouble and focused on Underworld, but that was no different to usual.

"I've not had a chance to yet wit you running to the toilet. I bet my toast is cold now" Peter laughed

"Sorry. Thanks for all this. I told you that I would be fine didn't I"

"Yes I suppose you did"

"Right then, I'll phone Sal while you make me some toast. Just plain will be fine for me. Thanks baby" Carla demanded and headed into the bedroom, phone in hand ready to inform Sally of the changes today. She unlocked her phone and clicked on Sally Webster's contact number. Her phone started dialling Sally's number.

"Hi Mrs Connor, what can I do you for?" Sally asked, clearly delighted to have received a phone call from her beloved boss

"I was wondering of you could open up this morning. Michelle will be in later to check that things are running smoothly and if you have any enquiries then phone me as soon as possible"

"Of course Mrs Connor. Would you like me to answer the phone –" Sally began but was soon cut off by Carla's clear response, she had predicted this response.

"No Sal, you can carry on at your machine. Like I said, Michelle will be in soon so there's no need to panic"

"oh okay. May I ask why?"

"No you may not" Carla replied abruptly "have a good day Sal" She ended the call and rolled her eyes, this was the expected response from Sally Webster if she was given any sort of responsibility.

Carla walked back into the kitchen of Roy's flat and nibbled on a piece of Peters toast.

"Typical Sally Webster response" Carla chuckled with a mouth full of toast

"Oi, that was mine" Peter complained, snatching it back and taking an even bigger bite out of the other end to which Carla laughed

"You're a pig Peter Barlow. But you're my pig" she kissed him even though he had a mouth full of toast and hugged him.

The sick feeling had abandoned Carla for the rest of the day. Her and Peter spent the rest of the day cuddled up on the sofa watching day time TV. Jeremy Kyle, Lorraine, Loose Women and all of that rubbish so Carla put on the transformers set that Simon had gotten off of a friend for Secret Santa a few years back. The series played right the way through the afternoon and into the evening. At around eleven o'clock in the evening, Carla and Peter decided to call it a day and headed off to bed for a long nights rest after the shenanigans that had occurred earlier on that morning, Peter needed as much energy as he could get of he was going to experience the same thing tomorrow that this morning had awoken him with.


	8. Chapter 7

CHAPTER SEVEN

After yesterday's tragic morning, Carla was pleased to be feeling a little better this morning. She didn't feel like she was going to throw up, but instead she had a terrible migraine meaning that a day in the Underworld office in front of a computer screen wasn't an option. Peter was awoken only once by Carla's wriggling due to her struggling to sleep as her sick feeling was making her uncomfortable. At no point did Carla leave the bed to throw up in the bathroom so Peter deemed it safe to leave his lover at home alone today while he held the fort at Underworld.

"Morning love" Peter greeted Carla as he walked into the kitchen with his arms wide, a hint for Carla to embrace him in a hug which she obeyed willingly. "You're looking a load better this morning baby" Peter continued, rocking Carla in his arms in a playful way

"Yeah I feel it. Not so much physically sick but my head is banging. It feels like a drill is just screwing through my skin and my skull and continuing deep into my brain" she complained being dramatic as ever

"What a lovely image to have engrained into my head at this early hour of the morning" Peter joked, kissing her on the cheek

"Did you want a fry up? I've got the sausages on the go and bacon in the grill. Was gonna do eggs too but I'm still working on getting them right. They go in the pan right?" She questioned

"Yes love, you do fry eggs in a pan. Don't forget the oil if you're going to make fried eggs. Anyway, I swear you hate eggs" Peter was highly confused at this point and he was right too. Carla's last encounter with eggs resulted in it making a reappearance in the middle of the cinema screening of Transformers. Since then, Peter has avoided giving Carla eggs. She was fine with them in things like cake but she couldn't digest any egg on its own.

"Yeah I'm not too sure about that one but I woke up and wanted eggs. This could go one of two ways but I really just want some eggs" Carla stated knowing that this was odd but didn't want to cause any concern for Peter so played it out as normal.

"Okay. I hope, for my sake, that you enjoy the egg. I'm spending too much time around you at the moment. I'll end up dressing in boring colours next" Peter joked trying to change the subject so Carla could concentrate on not burning the eggs. Carla picked up and egg, bashed it on the side of the pan and poured the contents into the oil that she had put in earlier.

"You sure you've got enough oil in there love?" Peter asked, pointing at the pan that had the oil practically spilling out of the edges

"It came out faster than I expected. It's not my fault the bottle lets the oil fall out" Carla laughed as Peter smirked his usual sexy manner which didn't go unnoticed by Carla "what are you smirking at Barlow?" She asked intrigued knowing that something she had said turned him on

"It's just when you said that the oil came out too quickly I just thought of another side of you that I find rather hardening downstairs" He said nodding his head down to his genitals where an erect cock formed in his trousers. Carla blushed and wanted to play dirty with him but she had something else on her mind that prevented this from happening.

"That's sweet baby but you need to work and I need to concentrate on getting this egg done to perfection" she giggled to which Peter responded by slapping her ass and coming behind her squeezing her muscly ass and planting soft kisses down her tender neck. Carla closed her eyes and her heart wanted to play along but her mind took over and refused. The egg in the pan needed to be taken out. "Phew, saved by the eggs" Carla thought inwardly. She scraped the egg out of the pan and planted it on the plate.

"There you are Mr Barlow" Carla gave Peter his serving of bacon and egg on a plate and then proceeding to fry another egg a lot more naturally than last time. After the egg was finished, she played up and joined Peter on the sofa in front of the TV. She perched next to Peter and swivelled around so that she was leaning on Peters shoulder with her legs lying across the long sofa that was placed in such a way that it was out of the kitchen area but in a prime position for chilling in front of the telly.

This morning Carla and Peter were joined by Susanna and Piers on Good Morning Britain. They had a selection of guests sat around their desk that sits so that an overview of London could be seen behind them. The guests had been invited in to talk about the low economy that was currently affecting small businesses in the UK. One guest pointed out that businesses were going bust particularly in the North Western area which caused both Carla and Peter to both put their food down and prevent anymore conversation as they worried about how this would affect Underworld. Once the guests had had their say and exactly on the eighth hour of the morning the daily news headlines were announced. This didn't interest Carla or Peter particularly. All the news was generally very depressing and this negative stress wasn't good for Carla's mental health. Since she came back from the mental health ward, Peter vowed that he would keep Carla from worries that weren't essential for her to know about in the hope that her anxiety levels came back up to normal and, when this happened, Peter would gradually begin to expose her to the world again. Because of this, Peter grabbed hold of the TV remote and turned the news headlines off.

"Blimey" Carla began, "that's the second warning about businesses going bust that I've heard this week"

"Well with Brexit and all of that nonsense, can you blame them?" Peter stated trying to calm Carla's nerves

"I suppose not" Carla agreed snuggling into Peter's chest "I just hope that Underworld does okay. I'm not sure if I could cope with all the work I've put into it if I had to close it down"

"Well let's cross that bridge when we get to it, eh?" Peter said, wrapping his arms around Carla and pulling her in closer to his body.

"Well let's hope we don't have to cross that bridge" Carla replied, letting out a long sigh and manoeuvring her head to nestle herself into Peter more.

Carla's phone made a unique noise, a sign that she was being summoned by Michelle. She picked up her phone and read the message. In short, the text explained that Michelle and Steve were going to go on a short holiday to Hertfordshire to see some of Steve's family. They would go in a few hours and then return a week later. The two of them needed a break after the Rovers became very busy and they hadn't been on a couples holiday since they had bought the Rovers Return which was years ago. Carla thought nothing of it but wished them a safe journey and a brilliant break from the pub. After this, she glanced at her watch and continued with her morning.

"I'm sorry to have to say this just as you've made yourself comfortable but you know that business you were talking about? Well I need to open up before it goes bust!" Peter joked as Simon walks into the flat

"You alright?" He greeted them

"Yeah good thanks son" Peter replied, getting up off the sofa to give him a hug

"Peter do you mind if I stay home with Si today? My head is killing me" Carla asked

"Of course you can love. I'm sure Si would enjoy the company" Peter agreed, going over to give her a soft kiss on the lips "alright then, I'm off" He picked up his leather jacket and swung it over his shoulder "I love you two" he said before closing the door behind him.

"Right then, I have a few ideas for the new flat" Simon said, pulling a large folder out of his school bag

"My god you have been busy!" Carla laughed although Simon's enthusiasm made her delighted for the future. "The keys were posted through the door this morning, I had to make it discrete in front of Peter but I don't think he saw a thing!"

"Brilliant. That will make my ideas seem a load more read then" Simon said as he put the folders back into his bag

"What do you mean" Carla quizzed

"Well since you've got the keys we might as well go to the flat and I'll show you my ideas" he grabbed Carla by the hand and practically dragged her out the door and over to their new home.

"Okay so these are the colour schemes I was looking at" he pointed to a page on his magazine where he had made some sort of mood board for each room. He took the colour patches and detached them from the silver paper clip that kept them in place. "I was thinking this shade for the living room" Simon said as he handed Carla a yellow shade of cream

"Ooh I like that one. Maybe we could have one of those modernist rooms. You know with one statement wall and the others white?"

"I knew you would be one of those classy ones" Simon giggled

"I don't wear all of this designer clothes for nothing" Carla laughed as a wave of nausea overcame her. She sat down and began breathing heavily

"Carla are you alright?" Simon asked as he knelt down in front of her and clasping hold of her hands.

"Yeah. I've just felt sick all morning yesterday and this morning I felt a bit peaky and had a headache but now I feel physically sick. I must have caught a bug or something. I'll be fine" she assured Simon, trying to calm him down and preventing any worry for him.

"Right, I'd better get you home before my dad kills me" he said, standing up

"No, no I'll be okay just show me the colour scheme again" Simon obeyed and took the colour scheme out of his pocket and handed them to Carla.

"These where my ideas for my room and these ones are for your room" He said hanging Carla 6 strips of pastel shades of pink, green and blue. She also caught a glimpse of a layout design for a room in Simon's folder of ideas. She pointed to it and forced him to show her the rest of his ideas.

Once addressing them all Carla felt well enough to make her way back home. Simon decided that they would compromise by holding Carla up by the elbow all the way back to Roy's flat.

They got in and Carla immediately made her way over to the sofa and slouched over it closely followed by Simon who cuddles up to Carla's shoulder. Carla's legs were balancing on the coffee table in the centre of the room while Simons stretched over the rest of the sofa. They watched TV together and continued discussing the new flat and the arrangement until Peter came home.

"Look at you two cuddling up together! Mind if I get some of that action?" He said bundling onto the sofa without waiting for an answer

"Yes I guess!" Carla laughed as they all fell asleep on the sofa together.


	9. Chapter 8

CHAPTER EIGHT

At three o'clock in the morning, Carla had to roll off the sofa and run to the bathroom due to her sickness making an appearance yet again. It wasn't until four fifteen that Peter heard his girlfriend and rushed to her aid

"Ugh Peter I've had enough of this" She groaned before hurling into the toilet again

"Oh my love, I hate seeing you like this" he said sympathetically as he knelt down beside Carla and placed his hand on her back and proceeded to move it around in circular movements in order to sooth Carla from her pain.

Hours past and Carla and Peter had fallen asleep in the bathroom in each other's embrace. Simon had woken up on the sofa by himself and instantly wondered into the spare room that he had claimed for himself. On the way to his room he noticed the bathroom light on and peered into the small room to see his dad and Carla cuddled up together. He wombled over to the sofa and picked up the throw that was placed over the back of it. After grabbing the large throw he walked into the bathroom and flung it over his father and his partner before shuffling back to his room and falling asleep.

"Peter" Carla cried shortly before doubling over, holding her stomach and throwing up into the toilet for the third time this night. Peter slowly opened his tired eyes as he attempted to piece together the situation. It's not every day that you wake up having fallen asleep on the bathroom floor and if he did it was the result of a shared bath and a horny Peter. He sat up and rubbed his eyes as his brain caught up with his surroundings and the events of last night became clear to him. He instantly went to Carla's aid, bringing her hair out of her face and running his fingers down her back to make her feel better.

"I'm here darling, I'm here" he reassured his lover. Peter looked down to his watch that read six forty five, it was time to get up anyway and Roy, no doubt, would be making breakfast shortly.

Carla felt like there was nothing left in her to throw up and yet somehow it just kept coming. The last time she'd felt this ill was when she was in need of a kidney and that in itself was truly terrifying. Peter had decided that Carla wasn't going to attend work today but that he had to as he had already taken loads of like off already while helping Carla through her traumatic experience of psychosis.

By seven o'clock, Carla was in her bedroom changing into some comfier clothes than yesterday's jeans and T-shirt. "You feeling any better love?" Peter asked

"No not really baby. This is horrible"

"I know but you'll get through it. Unfortunately I am going to have to open up the factory today but I'm not leaving you here alone. I'll give 'Chelle a message"

"That's fine. I'll be okay on my own I promise" Carla said in her trooper way

"I know you will but I'm not going to risk it. You're having someone stay with you, end of story" Peter said sternly. He loved his girlfriend but she couldn't ever admit when she needed help. Peter knew that he had to set the rules himself before Carla pushed herself too far and resulting in another mental breakdown.

"Fine" Carla agreed knowing that she didn't have the strength to argue

Peter picked up his phone and directed a text message to Michelle who was about to go on holiday with Steve. She replied promptly and agreed to come and look after Carla after she had completed her packing which she assured wouldn't take long.

"Right love, Michelle is on her way. She shouldn't be long but I can see the factory workers waiting outside the factory so I'd better be off" Peter said while holding a coffee and staring out the window.

"Alright baby. Si is still here anyway so I'll call him if things go tits up" she joked knowing that Peter meant well but that he did come across rather controlling at times.

"Oi you, don't mock me" he giggled, kissing her forehead.

"I love you" she said

"Right back at ya" he replied before heading out of the front door in the direction of Underworld.

Half an hour passed and Carla realised the time. Simon was going to be late for college if he wasn't careful, she decided that she would knock on his door just to ensure that he was actually awake. She rolled off the sofa and slowly made her way over to Simon's door. Carla could see that Simons light was off and, through the crack in his door, she saw him fast asleep in his bed. He looked so peaceful that waking him up would have been a crime but it was one that she had to commit to get him to school on time.

"Si" she whispered as she opened the door and crept into his bedroom "Si" she repeated a little louder and she placed a hand on his head and ran her fingers through his thick curly hair. His eyes opened slowly as Carla smiled "you're going to be late for college if you don't get up soon" Carla said softly while running her fingers through his hair once again. Simon rolled over and sat up in his bed bringing his arms above his head in a big stretch, his mouth opening wide as a yawn escaped his mouth.

"Cheers mum" Simon said before swinging his legs around getting ready to stand up "is it alright if I call you that? Obviously when I'm not around Leanne because that could be confusing and plus I don't think she would appreciate me calling you the same thing as her!" He blurted out pretty fast, almost as if he was worried for the reply that he might encounter but he was shocked by how wrong he was

"It would be an honour" Carla said, tears filling her eyes, making her vision blur but clear enough to see Simon throwing his arms around her neck and bringing her into a warm hug.

"I thought you were going to say no!" Simon laughed, his limbs still wrapped around Carla

"Well you got that one wrong didn't ya" she giggled before squeezing him into a tight cuddle and letting him go "you had better get ready for college now. I know you're not in uniform anymore but you still take ages to get ready!"

"I'm fully aware of this"

"Only a fine man cares about his appearance" she states as Simon goes to look at his watch.

"Oh sugar" he cursed, face planting into his hand

"Yep you've already missed the bus. It was partly my fault so I'll drive you in" Carla offered

"Thanks, I don't know what I'd do without you"

"Well hurry up. I've got a life too you know" she laughed, rolling her eyes playfully which resulted in a playful whack from Simon.

After about half an hour, Simon reappeared from his bedroom in his jeans and hoodie. The only thing that looked like it took time was his hair. Every morning Simon massaged a special oil into his scalp so ensure his luscious locks remained curly and moisturised. This may sound like a quick fix, but Simon's hair routine took up the majority of his morning and he would never leave the house without having sorted his hair. To be fair, it did look like the end of a mop if he hadn't used his oil!

"Right, let's go!" Simon announced, grabbing his coat and flinging it over his shoulder

"Pass us the keys then" Carla said to which Simon picked up the keys to Carla's BMW and launched them in the air, Carla watched as the keys flew through the air and caught them in the palm of her hands. She shoved them in her pocket and walked out of the flat, locking the door behind her. Although she felt nauseous still, Carla thought that getting Simon to college was more important than her getting the rest she needed.

The pair got in the car, buckled themselves up and found themselves driving along the motorway in the direction of Simons College.

"So, have you had any more ideas for the flat then?" Carla asked, curious as she hadn't taken in all of the information that she had been given on their last visit due to her sickness.

"No not really. I was wondering though" Simon began. Carla was always intrigued at Simon's questions as he never held back. With him being so close to both Carla and Peter, Simon felt comfortable to ask whatever popped into his head. "What was the spare room for? I mean it's nice to have an extra room but who would stay. All of our family live close so what's the point?" He asked

"That's a very good question Si. I don't have an answer for that!" Carla giggled

"I mean that's if you're going to rule out having a baby" he said. This received a laugh from Carla until she looked at Simons face and realised that he was dead serious

"Sorry I thought you were joking" Carla explained. "I'm not sure. Maybe. I mean after losing my baby girl I don't think I could have another one for the fear of losing that one as well" she told him but this sparked sudden thoughts in her mind that she couldn't remove. She decided that she would bring them up over the phone with Michelle over FaceTime instead.

"That makes sense" Simon agreed with disappointment in his voice.

"Why? Did you want another sibling?" She asked, instantly regretting it

"I never thought I would but it would make me feel like a proper family with you and dad" he explained. Carla's heart sunk. She knew this would be the outcome of her stupid question. Although there was nothing she could do about her feelings, she felt guilty for her negative thoughts on the matter and partly pressured as she wanted Simon to feel like a family but was she able to conceive anyway? Was she strong enough mentally or physically? At the moment she didn't know but she knew that she wouldn't rule it out, instead she would remain open minded.

The car journey was coming to an end as Simons College came into sight. "Have a good day Si. Text me if you have any more ideas for the flat yeah?" She suggested as Simon unbuckled his seatbelt and leaned over the gearstick to hug Carla.

"I will do. Also don't feel that you have to have a baby to make me feel happy. I've still got Oliver and I don't want to strain yours and my dad's relationship, you're made for each other and I don't want to risk it falling apart. Maybe you could just forget about it. Yeah. That's probably best" Simon argued to himself as he hopped out the car and swung his school bag over his shoulder, closing the car door shut and waving goodbye before Carla could get a word in.

Despite Simon telling her to forget about the baby idea, Carla seemed to find it extremely hard not to. She needed to bring the idea up with Peter before mentioning it to Michelle so Carla decided to keep her mouth shut when she arrived back for a catch-up.

Time passed and Carla had arrived back in Whetherfield. She had just finished reversing her car skilfully into her parking space just as Michelle was walking towards Roy's Rolls.

"Hi. I was just coming to see you. Steve and I are going on holiday for a few weeks and I was dying for a catch-up" Michelle said as she walked over to Carla with her arms wide, pulling her into a hug.

"Mmmhh this is nice" Carla whispered with her eyes closed. She could quite happily sleep there after this morning's shenanigans! "Come on up" she gestured to the cafes entrance and lead her up the stairs to her home ensuring that she gave Roy a hug on the way up.

"Okay we have 15 minutes" Michelle smiled glancing down to her watch and perching in the side of the sofa near where Carla was lying. "You not feeling any better" she asked as Carla closed her eyes

"Not really 'Chelle. I hate being ill" she giggled while sitting up to make room for Michelle to sit down.

"Well it's a good time that I'm not staying long. You look exhausted" she stated receiving a typical evil stare from Carla. From this Michelle could see that Carla was definitely on the mend!

After around 10 minutes of conversation, Carla fell asleep on the sofa and Michelle took this as a sign to leave. She made her way to the front door and picked up a bag on the way to the pub and shoved it in the car. Shortly after, both Michelle and Steve got in the car and made their way to Hertfordshire. Michelle ensured that Carla didn't panic when she awoke by sending her a message telling her that she had left and why she disappeared without telling her.

Carla awoke to Peter stoking her hair and the sound of Catchphrase on the TV in front of her.

"Morning princess" he said as Carla shuffled into his warmth, resting her head on Peter's chest.

"Where did Michelle go?" She questioned, confused as to why she had been abandoned

"Uh you were so exhausted that you fell asleep love. You're not yourself and she decided to let you sleep" he replied

"I need to go and see her to apologise" Carla panicked, sitting up ready to move

"Woah calm down baby. She left with Steve a couple of hours ago. I was told to give you and hug and send you her love and apologies. She hated having to leave you but thought that it was in your best interest that she did" Peter explained as Carla nodded calmly and returned to her position on Peters chest.

"I feel bad now" she explained, thankful for the 6 hour nap that she had been engulfed by all day

"Don't be. You needed your sleep love" he giggled as Carla fell asleep on his chest yet again. Would Carla bring up Simons idea of them having a baby? If she did, how would peter react?


End file.
